CN220628246U - Connection terminal for connecting electrical conductors - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to a connection terminal (1) for connecting electrical conductors (2), comprising: a housing (10) having a plug opening (100) into which an electrical line (2) can be inserted for connection to the connection terminal (1). A contact element (11) for electrical contact with the electrical conductor (2) and a spring element (12) having a clamping leg (120) for acting on the electrical conductor (2) to bring the electrical conductor (2) into contact with the contact element (11) are arranged on the housing (10). The actuating element (14) can be displaced in order to displace the clamping leg (120) from the non-actuated position into the actuated position. The connection terminal has a trigger element (13) which is pivotably mounted on the housing (10). The actuating element (14) is locked in the actuating position relative to the housing (10). The triggering element (13) can be pivoted relative to the housing (10) by the interaction of the triggering leg (130) and the electrical line (2) when being inserted into the insertion opening (100).

Description

Connection terminal for connecting electrical conductors

Technical Field

The utility model relates to a connection terminal for connecting electrical conductors according to the utility model.

Background

Such a connection terminal comprises a housing having a plug opening into which an electrical conductor can be inserted for connection to the connection terminal. Contact elements are arranged on the housing for electrical contact with the electrical conductors. Furthermore, a spring element is arranged on the housing, which spring element has a clamping leg which is designed to act on the electrical conductor when the electrical conductor is inserted into the insertion opening, in order to bring the electrical conductor into contact with the contact element. The actuating element can be actuated by a user in order to displace the clamping leg. For this purpose, the actuating element can be moved from the unactuated position into the actuated position, for example, using a tool, in order to displace the clamping leg in the actuated position, for example, in order to facilitate insertion of the electrical conductor into the insertion opening or in order to remove the electrical conductor from the insertion opening.

Such a connection terminal is realized by using a spring element, wherein the electrical conductor is clamped with the contact element and is thus electrically connected with the contact element in the connection position under the elastic spring action of the spring element.

In the connection terminal disclosed in DE 10 2019 127 464 B3, a spring element is provided in the form of a tension spring which, by means of an elastic spring action, pulls the connected electrical conductor against the associated contact element and thus establishes a clamping connection between the electrical conductor and the contact element. For this purpose, the electrical conductor is pushed through the opening in the clamping leg during attachment and is clamped between the clamping leg and the contact element in the connecting position.

In the connection terminal of DE 10 2019 127 464 B3, a locking device is provided, by means of which the clamping leg is locked in the release position relative to the housing. When the electrical conductor is inserted, the locking device is activated and thus the locking is released, so that the clamping leg is displaced from the release position and thereby clamps the electrical conductor with the contact element. In order to transfer the clamping leg into the release position, in particular in order to be able to attach the electrical conductor or to release the connected electrical conductor from the connection terminal, a tool, for example a screwdriver, can be attached to the connection terminal and a force can be applied to the clamping leg thereby.

In DE 10 2019 127 464 B3, the clamping legs are displaced directly by means of a tool, whereas in the connection terminals known from DE 10 2019 135 203A1 and DE 10 2020 104 140 A1, in each case an actuating element in the form of a so-called Pusher (Pusher) is provided, which can be pressed into the housing of the connection terminal in order to act on the clamping legs in this way and to displace the clamping legs into their release position. The actuating elements are each preloaded against the housing springs of the connection terminals via a tensioning spring in the form of a compression spring. In DE 10 2019 135

203A1, an actuating projection is provided on the actuating element, which actuating projection hooks onto a fastening section of the holding element in the actuating position of the actuating element.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the utility model is to provide a connection terminal which enables the clamping leg of a spring element to be held in a release position in a simple manner and to be transferred into the clamping position when an electrical conductor is inserted.

This object is solved by a connection terminal for connecting electrical conductors according to the utility model.

The connecting terminal has a trigger element pivotally mounted on the housing, the trigger element having a trigger leg and an actuating leg, wherein the actuating element is locked relative to the housing in the actuating position, so that the actuating element is held in its position relative to the housing in the actuating position. The trigger element is pivotable relative to the housing by the interaction of the trigger leg and the electrical line when inserted into the insertion opening. The actuating leg is configured for acting on the actuating element when the trigger element is pivoted in order to release the actuating element from the actuating position.

In the connection terminal, the electrical conductor is in electrical contact with the electrical contact element in that, when the electrical conductor is inserted into the insertion opening, the clamping leg acts on the electrical conductor and the spring elastically loads the electrical conductor in the direction of contact with the contact element. In order to facilitate the insertion of the electrical conductors, the clamping leg of the spring element can be deflected elastically by actuating the actuating element in order in this way to shift the clamping leg into a release position in which the space inside the housing is released in the region of the insertion opening and thus the electrical conductors can be inserted into the insertion opening in a substantially weak manner or (alternatively) the connected electrical conductors can be removed from the connection terminal in a simple manner. The actuating element can be embodied, for example, in the form of a pusher and can be pressed into the housing by a user actuating it in order to act on the clamping leg in this way and displace the clamping leg in the direction of the release position.

The actuating element, which is arranged displaceably on the housing, is locked in the actuating position relative to the housing. In the actuating position, the actuating element is thus held in its position relative to the housing, so that the clamping leg of the spring element is also held in its release position, in which the electrical conductor can be simply attached to the connection terminal or the connected conductor can be removed from the connection terminal in a substantially weak manner.

The actuating element can thus be actuated to displace the clamping leg relative to the housing and to displace it into the release position, so that in particular the electrical conductors can be simply inserted into the insertion opening of the housing to connect the conductors to the connection terminals. The triggering element pivotally mounted on the housing is used to trigger the actuating element from the actuating position, in order to automatically release the actuating element from the actuating position when the electrical conductor is inserted into the insertion opening, and thus to transfer the clamping leg into the clamping position, in which the electrical conductor inserted into the insertion opening is in electrical contact with the contact element of the connection terminal. For this purpose, the triggering element has a triggering leg which is designed to interact with the electrical line when it is inserted into the insertion opening. By the interaction of the electrical lines with the trigger legs, the trigger element is pivoted relative to the housing, so that the trigger element acts on the actuating element via the action legs, so that the locking of the actuating element is released and the actuating element is thus released from the actuating position.

After the unlocking, the actuating element can be moved back in the direction of the unactuated position, in particular automatically, preferably under spring pretension. For example, a spring pretension of the actuating element can be brought about by a clamping leg which is elastically deflected in the actuating position and, after releasing the actuating element, the spring acts mechanically on the actuating element in order to shift the actuating element from the actuating position in the direction of the non-actuating position. However, the pretension can also be provided by an additional pretension element, for example an additional spring.

By pivoting the triggering element relative to the housing and thereby acting on the actuating element during insertion of the electrical conductor, the actuating element is released from the locking in the actuating position, and the connecting terminal automatically closes during insertion of the electrical conductor. A simple connection process is obtained at the same time as the electrical conductor is reliably brought into contact with the contact element by the clamping action of the clamping legs.

In one embodiment, the housing defines a receiving space into which the electrical line can be introduced by insertion into the insertion opening. The trigger leg extends in the receiving space to interact with the electrical conductor. In particular, the electrical line can be inserted into the insertion opening along the insertion direction, wherein the trigger leg extends in the initial position transversely to the insertion direction in the receiving space. The trigger element can be pivoted relative to the housing via the trigger leg such that the trigger leg moves out of the initial position when interacting with the electrical line and thereby displaces the trigger element to act on the actuating element.

The trigger leg may, for example, define a lever arm that is larger than the lever arm of the action leg. This allows the electrical conductor to act with relatively little force on the trigger leg in order to pivot the trigger leg out of the initial position. The triggering element then acts on the actuating element via the actuating leg with a force transmission ratio (Kraft ubersetzung) determined by the lever ratio in order to release the actuating element from the locking in the actuating position.

In one embodiment, the spring element is configured as a tension spring. In this case, the clamping leg of the spring element is designed to pull the electrical conductor against the contact element by means of a spring force. In this case, for example, an opening can be formed in the clamping leg, through which the electrical line can be passed when it is inserted into the insertion opening of the housing, in order to pull the electrical line into clamping contact with the contact element after the clamping leg has been triggered from the release position.

Alternatively, the spring element may be configured as a compression spring. In this case, the clamping leg is designed to push the piezoelectric wire against the contact element by means of a spring force. When inserted into the insertion opening, the electrical conductor reaches into the space between the clamping leg and the contact element, wherein, after the clamping leg is triggered from the release position, the clamping leg acts on the electrical conductor and presses the electrical conductor against the contact element.

In one embodiment, the clamping leg can be displaced elastically relative to the housing into a release position by actuation of the actuating element and is held relative to the housing in the release position by the actuating element being locked in the actuating position. The clamping leg is thus locked in the release position relative to the housing, so that the clamping leg remains in the release position after the actuating element has been actuated.

The spring element can, for example, have a support leg by means of which the spring element is supported on the housing and held in its position on the housing. The clamping leg can be elastically deflected relative to the support leg, wherein in the release position the clamping leg is deflected in such a way that the spring element is elastically tensioned and the clamping leg is moved out of the release position in an elastically pretensioned manner after being released from the release position.

In one embodiment, the actuating element has a through opening through which the spring element passes. The spring element can be formed, for example, by a bent leaf spring, wherein the clamping leg can be deflected relative to the support leg along a displacement plane. The spring element extends through the through opening of the actuating element, for example, around the housing section of the housing, so that the spring element is supported on the housing on a first side of the actuating element via the support leg and the clamping leg protrudes from the actuating element on a second side facing away from the latter and is displaced together with the actuating element when the actuating element is displaced. This results in a space-efficient arrangement of the actuating element and the spring element, while the force is effectively introduced into the spring element when the actuating element is moved from the unactuated position into the actuated position, and furthermore the force is effectively introduced from the spring element into the actuating element when the actuating element is returned from the actuated position due to the spring pretension of the spring element.

In one embodiment, the actuating element is mounted on the housing in a linearly movable manner and has an actuating section for actuation by a user and an actuating section for acting on the clamping leg. The actuating section can be accessible from outside the housing, for example, in that the user can act on the actuating section manually via a tool, for example a screwdriver, or alternatively, the actuating section being operatively connected to the clamping leg of the spring element. As a result, a displacement force is applied to the clamping leg by the displacement actuating element via the action section, so that the clamping leg is moved in the direction of the release position, in particular when the actuating element is displaced from the unactuated position into the actuated position.

In one embodiment, the actuating element has a locking section for locking with the locking element of the housing in the actuating position. The locking section may be arranged, for example, at the end of the actuating element facing away from the actuating section. The actuating element is locked in the actuating position by the locking section with a corresponding locking element of the housing, so that the actuating element is thereby held in the actuating position, but can be released from the actuating position in a simple and reliable manner by triggering the triggering element when the electrical conductor is inserted.

In one embodiment, the locking section of the actuating element can be displaced elastically relative to the actuating section. The locking section can be formed, for example, by a resilient finger which extends linearly from the actuating section, for example, along an actuating direction along which the actuating element can be moved relative to the housing. In one embodiment, the locking section can be displaced relative to the actuating section, for example transversely to the actuating direction, in order to engage with the locking element of the housing when the actuating element is moved into the actuating position by means of an elastic deflection, wherein the actuating element can be released again from the actuating position by the triggering element acting on the locking section.

If a through opening is formed in the actuating element, through which the spring element passes, the through opening can extend up to the region of the locking section, so that a material weakness is produced in the region of the locking section and the locking section can thus be deformed in a bending-elastic manner relative to the actuating section, in particular transversely to the actuating direction.

In one embodiment, the locking element of the housing is formed by an engagement projection which projects from a housing wall of the housing. The engagement projection can be formed in particular rigidly on the housing such that the engagement projection cannot be deflected relative to the housing wall. The elasticity for establishing the locking connection of the actuating element in the actuating position is thus provided via a locking section of the actuating element, which, when the actuating element is transferred into the actuating position, is lockingly engaged with the engagement projection of the locking element and can be disengaged from the engagement projection in order to release the actuating element from the actuating position.

The engagement projection protrudes from the housing wall and preferably forms an undercut for locking with the locking section of the actuating element. The engagement projections can be formed, for example, on a side wall of the housing, wherein in one embodiment two engagement projections can be provided on opposite side walls spaced apart from each other transversely to the actuating direction for locking with the locking section of the actuating element in the actuating position. The second engagement projection may also be arranged on a rear wall of an adjacent connection terminal, which rear wall is parallel to the side wall of the housing of the current connection terminal, if the connection terminal is designed for being arranged in a row with further connection terminals.

In one embodiment, the actuating leg is designed to act on the locking section when the trigger element is pivoted in order to lift the locking section off the engagement projection. The actuating leg may extend approximately at right angles to the trigger leg, for example. When the trigger element is pivoted on the trigger leg by means of the electrical line, the actuating leg is pivoted and thus acts on the locking section of the actuating element in order to lift the locking section, for example, transversely to the actuating direction, from the locking element formed by the engagement projection. Thus, the locking of the locking section with the locking element is released.

In one embodiment, the actuating element has a guide surface which is guided in a linearly displaceable manner on a guide section of the housing. The guide surface can be formed, for example, by a flat extending wall of the actuating element, which extends, for example, along a plane which is unfolded by the actuating direction and the transverse direction. In contrast, the guide section on the housing can be formed, for example, by a guide edge which extends in the actuating direction inside the housing and provides guidance for the actuating element in the housing over the displacement path.

Drawings

The idea underlying the utility model is explained in detail below with the aid of an embodiment shown in the drawings. The drawings show:

fig. 1A shows a view of an embodiment of a connection terminal, with the actuating element in an unactuated position;

FIG. 1B shows a side view of the arrangement according to FIG. 1A;

fig. 2A shows a view of the connection terminal when the actuating element is in the actuating position;

FIG. 2B shows a side view of the arrangement according to FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3A shows a view of the connection terminal when the electrical lead is co-acting with the trigger element;

FIG. 3B shows a side view of the arrangement according to FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4A shows a view of the connection terminal after insertion of an electrical lead and release of the steering element from the steering position; and

FIG. 4B shows a side view of the arrangement according to FIG. 4A;

fig. 5A shows an isolated view of a housing of the connection terminal;

fig. 5B shows a side view of the housing;

fig. 6A shows an isolated view of a contact element of a connection terminal;

fig. 6B shows a side view of the contact element;

fig. 7A shows an isolated view of the actuating element of the connection terminal;

FIG. 7B shows a side view of the steering element;

fig. 8A shows an isolated view of a trigger element of the connection terminal;

FIG. 8B shows a side view of the trigger element;

fig. 9A shows an isolated view of the spring element of the connection terminal; and

fig. 9B shows a side view of the spring element.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1A, 1B to 4A, 4B show an embodiment of a connection terminal 1, which connection terminal 1 is constructed as a housing 10 in which a plug opening 100 for inserting an electrical conductor 2 in a plug-in direction E is formed.

The housing 10 defines a receiving space 101 into which the electrical conductor 2 is introduced with the uninsulated conductor end 20 when it is inserted into the insertion opening 100 in the insertion direction E. In the connection position, the uninsulated conductor end 20 of the conductor wire 2 is located within the receiving space 101 and is in electrical contact with the contact element 11 in the form of a current strip via the clamping leg 120 of the spring element 12, so that the conductor wire 2 is electrically connected to the connection terminal 1.

The spring element 12 has a support leg 121 which is supported on the wall of the housing 10, so that the spring element 12 is thereby fixed to the housing 10 and fixed relative to the housing 10. The clamping leg 120 can be deflected elastically relative to the support leg 121, in particular in such a way that the clamping leg 120, in the clamping position shown in fig. 4A, 4B, acts clampingly on the electrical conductor 2 on the connection terminal 1 and presses the electrical conductor into contact with the surface section 110 of the contact element 11 under elastic pretension and thus brings the electrical conductor 2 into electrical contact with the contact element 11 via its conductor end 20.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, an actuating element 14 is mounted on the housing 10 in a displaceable manner in the actuating direction B. The actuating element 14 is accommodated in the actuating opening 102 of the housing 10 in a displaceable manner and can be pushed in a linear guide manner relative to the housing 10 in the actuating direction B in order to thereby act on the clamping leg 120 of the spring element 12 and displace it between the clamping position and the release position.

The actuating element 14 shown in fig. 7A, 7B in separate views has an actuating section 141 which can be accessed from outside the housing 10 via the actuating opening 102 and can thus be actuated by a user, for example, using a tool. The actuating section 141 is accommodated in the actuating opening 102 and is guided in the actuating opening 102 in a pushing manner. Furthermore, the actuating section 141 forms a guide surface 140 which is guided in the interior 101 of the housing 10 on the guide opening 102 side on the guide section 106 in the form of a stepped guide edge in the actuating direction B, so that the actuating element 14 is guided linearly over the housing 10 over its entire displacement path in the housing 10.

The actuating element 14 is in operative connection with the clamping leg 120 of the spring element 12. For this purpose, the spring element 12, which is shown in fig. 9A, 9B in a separate view, passes through the through-opening 142 inside the actuating element 14 in such a way that the spring element 12 surrounds the pin-shaped housing section 104 of the housing 10 with the intermediate section 122. The support legs 121 protrude from the openings 142 at a first side and are supported on the housing 10. In contrast, the clamping leg 120 protrudes from the actuating element 14 on the second, remote side and extends in the receiving space 101 in the region of the insertion opening 100 in such a way that the spring element 12 can act via the clamping leg 120 on the electrical conductor 2 inserted into the insertion opening 100 in order to be in contact with the contact element 11 and also mechanically lock it.

The connection terminal 1 has a triggering element 13 shown in fig. 8A, 8B, which is pivotably supported on the housing 10 by a bearing shaft 131. In the embodiment shown, the bearing shaft 131 is fixedly formed on the housing 10 and protrudes for this purpose from the side wall 105 of the housing 10 (if the housing 10 is closed by a cover parallel to the side wall 105, the bearing shaft 131 extends between the side wall 105 on one side of the housing 10 and the cover on the other side of the housing 10). The bearing shaft 131 passes through a bearing opening 133 (see fig. 8A, 8B) of the trigger element 13 and thereby pivotably supports the trigger element 13 on the housing 10.

The triggering element 13 has a triggering leg 130 which, in the initial position (see fig. 1A, 1B and 2A, 2B), extends at least approximately transversely to the insertion direction E and thus protrudes into the interior 101 of the housing 10 into a region flush with the insertion opening 100, so that, when the electrical conductor 2 is inserted, the conductor end 20 strikes the triggering leg 130 and thus acts on the triggering element 13.

As shown in the individual views of the housing 10 according to fig. 5A, 5B, in the illustrated embodiment, locking elements 103 in the form of rigid engagement projections are formed on the side walls 105, which serve to lock the actuating element 14 in the actuating position relative to the housing 10. The actuating element 14 has a locking section 143 in the form of an elastic locking finger, which extends linearly in the actuating direction B from the actuating section 141 and into the region thereof also a through opening 142 through which the spring element 12 passes. The locking section 143 is elastically deflectable relative to the actuating section 141 transversely to the actuating direction B and can thus be locked to the housing 10 by means of the locking element 103 (if the housing 10 is closed on the front side in fig. 2A, 2B by a cover parallel to the side wall 105, the locking element 103 can be formed not only on the side wall 105 but also on the cover, so that the locking section 143 locks on one side on the side wall 105 and on the other side on the cover). In the actuating position shown in fig. 2A, 2B, the actuating element 14 is locked relative to the housing 10 and is thus held in its position relative to the housing 10 in the actuating position.

The triggering element 13 serves to interact with the electrical line 2 inserted into the insertion opening 100 in order to automatically connect the electrical line 2 to the connection terminal 1 when the clamping leg 120 is triggered. The triggering element 13 has an actuating leg 132 which is designed to cooperate with the locking section 143 when the triggering element 13 is pivoted about the bearing shaft 131, so that the actuating element 14 is released from the locking in the actuating position. When the triggering element 13 is pivoted about the bearing shaft 131, the actuating leg 132 acts on the locking section 143 in order to lift it transversely to the actuating direction B from the locking element 103 and thus release the locking, so that the actuating element 14 can be reset in the housing 10 counter to the actuating direction B.

The trigger leg 130 defines a lever arm which is greater than the lever arm of the actuating leg 232 for actuating the locking section 143 of the actuating element 14. A force transmission ratio is achieved in which the electrical conductor 2 can be applied with its uninsulated conductor end 20 to the trigger leg 130 with a relatively small force in order to pivot the trigger leg out of the initial position shown in fig. 1A, 1B and 2A, 2B. In this case, the actuating leg 132 acts on the locking section 143 in a force transmission ratio and thereby disengages the locking section 143 from the locking element 103.

By dimensioning the triggering leg 130 and the actuating leg 132, the force transmission ratio can be adjusted in a manner suitable for reliable triggering upon insertion of the electrical conductor 2.

The following working modes are generated:

if the actuating element 14 is actuated in the actuating direction B and is thus pushed into the housing 10, the actuating element 14 brings the clamping leg 120 of the spring element 12 via the actuating section 144 and thereby displaces the clamping leg 120 into the release position shown in fig. 2A, 2B. In the release position, the clamping leg 120 releases the region of the receiving space 101 that is flush with the plug-in opening 100 in the plug-in direction E, so that the electrical conductor 2 can be inserted into the plug-in opening 100 unimpeded by the clamping leg 120 and can thus be connected to the connection terminal 1 in a substantially weak manner.

If the electrical conductor 2 is inserted with the uninsulated conductor end 20 into the insertion opening 100 and is then introduced into the receiving space 101 in the insertion direction E, while the actuating element 14 is in the actuating position and the clamping leg 120 is in the release position, the conductor 2 abuts against the triggering leg 130 of the triggering element 13 and the triggering element 13 is thereby pivoted about the bearing axis 131 within the housing 10. As a result, the actuating leg 132 is displaced relative to the locking section 143 of the actuating element 14, so that the actuating leg 132 acts on the locking section 143 and moves it out of engagement with the locking element 103 on the housing 10, as is shown in fig. 3A, 3B and 4A, 4B. The actuating element 14 is thus released from the actuating position.

After unlocking, the actuating element 14 comes out of the actuating position as a result of the elastic pretensioning on the clamping leg 120 and returns counter to the actuating direction B, as can be seen from fig. 4A, 4B. The clamping leg 120 engages in clamping contact with the electrical conductor 2 and thereby presses the conductor end 20 into contact with the contact element 11, so that the electrical conductor 2 is electrically connected to the connection terminal 1 and is also mechanically locked.

Fig. 6A, 6B show separate views of the contact element 11. The contact element 11 has a surface section 110 against which the conductor end 12 is pressed by the clamping action of the clamping leg 120 in the clamping position according to fig. 4A, 4B, so that the conductor wire 2 is thereby brought into contact with the contact element 11. The contact element 11 can be contacted, for example, by a contact section 111 with a busbar or other associated electrical component.

Since the actuating element 14 is automatically moved out of the actuated position after unlocking, the user can safely and reliably recognize that the connection terminal 1 has been triggered and that the electrical conductor 2 is thus connected to the connection terminal 1. Thus reducing the risk of incorrect operation.

If the electrical conductor 2 is to be released from the connection position shown in fig. 4A, 4B and is again removed from the connection terminal 1, the actuating element 14 can be moved into the actuating position according to fig. 2A, 2B again, so that the clamping leg 120 comes out of abutment with the conductor 2. Thereby, the wire 2 can be taken out of the connection terminal 1 in a substantially weak manner.

The idea on which the utility model is based is not limited to the embodiments described above but can also be implemented in other ways.

The triggering element can be pivotably supported on the housing or on a component that is stationary relative to the housing via a bearing shaft. The triggering element can be prestressed, for example, by a prestressing element, for example a spring, in the direction of the initial position, so that the triggering element automatically returns to its initial position after triggering the actuating element.

The actuating element can be preloaded in the direction of the non-actuated position by the action of the clamping legs of the spring element. However, it is also conceivable to provide an additional pretensioning element which pretensions the actuating element against the actuating direction in the direction of the unactuated position relative to the housing. Such a pretensioning element may be configured, for example, by a pressure spring or other mechanical spring.

Description of the reference numerals

1. Connection terminal

10. Shell body

100. Plug-in opening

101. Accommodation space

102. Manipulation opening

103. Locking element

104. Housing section

105. Shell wall (bottom)

106. Guide section

11. Contact element (Current strip)

110. Face section

111. Contact section

12. Clamping spring

120. Clamping leg

121. Supporting leg

122. Intermediate section

13. Trigger element

130. Trigger leg

131. Supporting axle

132. Action leg

133. Support opening

14. Actuating element

140. Guide surface

141. Steering section

142. Through opening

143. Locking section

144. Action section

2. Conducting wire

20. Conductor end

B steering direction

E direction of insertion

Claims (15)

1. A connection terminal (1) for connecting electrical conductors (2), having: a housing (10) having a plug opening (100) into which an electrical line (2) can be inserted for connection to the connection terminal (1); a contact element (11) arranged on the housing (10) for electrical contact with the electrical line (2); a spring element (12) arranged on the housing (10) and having a clamping leg (120) for acting on the electrical conductor (2) to bring the electrical conductor (2) into contact with the contact element (11); and an actuating element (14) which is arranged displaceably on the housing (10) and which can be displaced to displace the clamping leg (120) from the non-actuated position into the actuated position, characterized in that the connection terminal has a trigger element (13) which is pivotably mounted on the housing (10) and which has a trigger leg (130) and an actuating leg (132), wherein the actuating element (14) is locked relative to the housing (10) in the actuated position, so that the actuating element (14) is held in its position relative to the housing (10) in the actuated position, wherein the trigger element (13) can be pivoted relative to the housing (10) by the interaction of the trigger leg (130) with the electrical line (2) when the electrical line (2) is inserted into the insertion opening (100), and the actuating leg (132) is configured to act on the actuating element (14) to release the actuating element (14) from the actuated position when the trigger element (13) is pivoted.

2. Connection terminal (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing (10) defines a receiving space (101) into which an electrical conductor (2) can be introduced by insertion into the plug opening (100), wherein the trigger leg (130) extends in the receiving space (101) for interaction with the electrical conductor (2).

3. Connection terminal (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the electrical line (2) can be inserted into the insertion opening (100) along an insertion direction (E), wherein the trigger leg (130) extends in the receiving space (101) transversely to the insertion direction (E) in an initial position.

4. Connection terminal (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the trigger leg (130) can be displaced from an initial position by co-action with the electrical wire (2) to release the actuating element (14) from an actuating position.

5. The connection terminal (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the clamping leg (120) is configured for pressing or pulling the electrical conductor (2) against the contact element (11) by means of a spring force.

6. The connection terminal (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the clamping leg (120) can be displaced elastically relative to the housing (10) into a release position by actuating the actuating element (14) and is held relative to the housing (10) in the release position by the actuating element (14) being locked in the actuating position.

7. The connection terminal (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the spring element (12) has a support leg (121) which is supported on the housing (10) and with respect to which the clamping leg (120) can be elastically deflected.

8. The connection terminal (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the actuating element (14) has a through opening (142) through which the spring element (12) passes.

9. The connection terminal (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the actuating element (14) is mounted on the housing (10) in a linearly movable manner and has an actuating section (141) for actuation by a user and an actuating section (144) for acting on the clamping leg (120).

10. The connection terminal (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that the actuating element (14) has a locking section (143) for locking with a locking element (103) of the housing (10) in the actuating position.

11. The connection terminal (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that the locking section (143) is elastically adjustable relative to the actuating section (141).

12. The connection terminal (1) according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the actuating element (14) can be pushed relative to the housing (10) along an actuating direction (B), wherein the locking section (143) can be elastically displaced relative to the actuating section (141) transversely to the actuating direction (B).

13. The connection terminal (1) according to claim 12, characterized in that the locking element (103) of the housing (10) is constituted by an engagement projection protruding from a housing wall (105) of the housing (10).

14. The connection terminal (1) according to claim 13, characterized in that the action leg (132) is configured to act on the locking section (143) to lift the locking section (143) from the engagement projection when the trigger element (13) is pivoted.

15. Connection terminal (1) according to claim 13, characterized in that the actuating element (14) has a guide surface (140) which is guided in a linearly movable manner on a guide section (106) of the housing (10).